Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1887-05-04

ought to have known. But can't
divest myself Of the idea that all this
white rock is arctic snow
..Well, I don't know said the Im-5
perturbable; .tthis isn't exactly what ]
should call arctic
He had been, with the Maiden, the
first to reach the top, and was gazing
into the depths Of the first of the Nam
moth Hot Springs. The wind had
blown toward him a sudden Whit Of the
hot sulphurous steam, and he had. step
ped back quickly, only to find that he
had stumbled into or Of the innocent
looking rills, that was decidedly warm
even through his boot. #s
But what a magnificent sight it was!
The whole snowy mass that had looked
cold and silent under the pale moon
the night before was now glowing,
cleaning, %pulsating with life under the
morning sun. For perhaps a hundred
acres the white surface was studded
with brilliant pools, set like jewels,
clear as diamonds, lovelier in color
than opals, in rims of fretted frost. del
icate as lace and as firm as marble.
Over these ooralline edges trickles
softly tho gentle overflow of the lovely
lakes, falling, falling, tremu-
lousy and without q sound, over the.
tluted reed-like columns of the terraces
below, only to leave them harder than
they were before.
"Isn't it Incredible" said the Man of
Sense, 'tthat water SO particularly clear
should hold anything in solution so par
ticularly hardp"
II don't know," murmured the I'M
perturbable dreamily. "It's like the
careless remark of q woman who has
packed her trunks for Europe that some
time she would like to go to the Yellow
stone; it sounds remarkably simple, but
you will find before long that there is
an a~damantine purpose at the bottom
of it."
They had reached by this time the
curious little lake with hot springs
bubbling up on one side of it, so that
by choosing your spot you could have
a bath at any temperature you pleased
Chem as likes their bath hot goes
in on the Left" explained the intelli-
gent Joseph, "and them as likes it cold
goes in on the right, and them as likes
it middlin' goes in in the middle"
They looked patiently at all the
curiosities which Joseph insisted upon
their seeing in the woods, but were
glad to emerge at another part of the
terraces, where the view seemed aver
finer than before. Nothing but the
warm bright air about them served to
remind them that it was not winter.
Even the exquisite coloring Of the water,
q lovely robbins's-egg blue, and the al
most gorgeous coloring of the terraces
where part of the deposit had formed
in columns or streaks of the richest
orange and red, Or of the daintiest pink
or creamy yellow, failed to detract
from the general effect of acres upon
acres of snow and ice.
It seemed almost as if in this vast
area every square inch was worth bend
ing down to examine. They took a
last lingering look at Cleopatra's Bowl,
and then began the easy descent. How
softly and slowly these noiseless little
rills, not in the least like restless, tar-
bulent cascades, slip over the rim
of their beautiful basins and down the
futed walls of the terraces, may be
judged from the fact that Joseph told
them they could only go down the way
they were descending, becaus the wind
that day was blowing the overflow
toward the other side.
"Ahr said the Maiden, with a happy
sign; ':it has been like going to Pom
pei and Venice and the Alps and the
Milan Cathedral and the arctic regions
all in one morning.'-AL1cE YELLING
TON ROLLINS, in Harper''s Magazine for
Mav.